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WORLD NEWS Monday 19 noveMber 2018

Interpol meets to select new president after China’s arrest

By AYA BATRAWY day, senior vice president A little more than a week
Associated Press of Interpol’s executive ago, Stock told reporters
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates committee, Kim Jong Yang in France— where Interpol
(AP) — Police chiefs from of South Korea— who was is headquartered— that
around the world gathered previously named acting there was no reason for him
in Dubai on Sunday for In- president — helped open to suspect that anything
terpol’s general assembly the ceremony for the gen- about Meng’s resignation
to select a new president eral assembly meeting. “was forced or wrong.”q
after the agency’s former
official in the post was de-
tained in China.
Meng Hongwei— who was
China’s vice minister of
public security while also Jurgen Stock, Secretary General of Interpol, right, and
leading Interpol — went commander-in-chief of Dubai Police Abdullah Al Marri arrive
for a press conference at the opening day of 87th International
missing while on a trip to Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) General Assembly in
China in September. It later Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018.
emerged that the long- Associated Press
time Communist Party in-
sider with decades of ex- proclaims its neutrality and he faces is just an excuse
perience in China’s security prohibits the use of police for a lengthy detention and
apparatus was detained as notices for political reasons. that he is being persecuted
part of a sweeping purge Two years ago, Interpol in- for political reasons.
against allegedly corrupt troduced new measures As more than 1,000 dele-
or disloyal officials under aimed at strengthening the gates from most of the 192
President Xi Jinping’s au- legal framework around member-states began fill-
thoritarian administration. the red notice system. As ing the main hall for the an-
Interpol member-states will part of the changes, an in- nual event, Interpol Secre-
also be deciding whether ternational team of lawyers tary-General Jurgen Stock
to accept Kosovo as a full and experts first check a no- explained to reporters that
member, which would al- tice’s compliance with In- the agency’s rules did not
low officials there to file red terpol rules and regulations allow for Meng to continue
notices for Serbian officials before it goes out. Interpol acting as president. Meng
that Kosovo considers war also says it enhanced the had been serving as presi-
criminals. work of an appeals body dent since November 2016,
The red notices are alerts for those targeted with red and his term was due to
circulated by Interpol to notices. end in 2020.
all member countries that Chinese authorities say He said Interpol received
identify a person wanted Meng is being lawfully in- Meng’s resignation letter
for arrest by another coun- vestigated for taking bribes from China on Oct. 7 and
try. Interpol says there are and other crimes. China’s that Interpol was notified
57,289 active red notices beleaguered rights activists by Chinese authorities that
around the world. point out that as someone Meng is no longer a dele-
Interpol acts as a clearing- with a seat atop the coun- gate to Interpol.
house for national police try’s powerful public securi- “It sounds a little technical
services that want to hunt ty apparatus, Meng helped but again that automati-
down suspects outside their build the opaque system of cally leads to the fact, ac-
borders. The body, howev- largely unchecked power cording to our rules, that
er, has faced criticism that wielded by the ruling Com- he is not the president any-
governments have abused munist Party to which he’s more,” Stock said. “We had
the “red notice” system now fallen victim. to take the measures to en-
to go after political en- Meng’s wife has told The As- sure the functioning of the
emies and dissidents, even sociated Press from France organization.”
though its charter explicitly that the bribery accusation In Meng’s place on Sun-